Share This

Adding customer service representatives to a computerized radiology workflow management system means improved patient and referring physician satisfaction and increased radiologist efficiency, an analysis of a program at Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati finds.

This means that the referring physician can get the report while the patient is still in the waiting room, says Alexander Towbin, MD, lead author of the analysis. The quick turnaround helps to alleviate patient anxiety and/or expedites necessary care, Dr. Towbin says.

Referring physicians can contact the customer service representatives if they have additional questions, and the customer service representative will put the referring physician in touch with the appropriate radiologist. Having a central phone number that the referring physician can use is more efficient, saving referring physicians the time and effort of making multiple phone calls, says Dr. Towbin.

The customer service representatives are responsible for documenting that the report has been provided to the referring physician. "Several studies have shown that a failure of communications is a causative factor in 70%-80% of malpractice lawsuits," says Dr. Towbin. The customer service representatives mitigate that.

Dr. Towbin notes that there are costs associated with adding customer service representatives to the radiology workflow. "We feel that the costs are outweighed by the benefits. The customer service representative position is entry-level. They are relieving radiologists of some of the administrative tasks, allowing the radiologists, who are the most expensive part of the workflow chain, to maximize their time reading imaging studies, conducting research and teaching" says Dr. Towbin.

The study appears in the January, 2011 online issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

More From ScienceDaily

More Health & Medicine News

Featured Research

Mar. 3, 2015 — No significant change in home habits of smokers have been observed in the aftermath of a ban on smoking in public spaces, researchers report. Greater inspiration to kick the habit likely comes from ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Heart function has been associated with the development of dementia and Alzheimer's disease through a new study. Participants with decreased heart function, measured by cardiac index, were two to ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Children of recently separated or divorced families are likelier to drink sugar-sweetened beverages than children in families where the parents are married, putting them at higher risk for obesity ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Gastric bypass and similar stomach-shrinking surgeries are a popular option for obese patients looking to lose weight or treat type 2 diabetes. While the surgeries have been linked to a decreased ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Most people consume more salt than they need and therefore have a higher risk of heart disease and stroke, which are the two leading causes of death worldwide. But a new study reveals that dietary ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Twice as many children born to mothers who took antibiotics during pregnancy were diagnosed with asthma by age 3 than children born to mothers who didn’t take prenatal antibiotics, a new study has ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Pediatric otolaryngologists and surgeons are concerned with parents getting the wrong message regarding the safety/desirability of letting babies and young children eat peanuts to prevent them from ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Why do people shake hands? A new study suggests one of the reasons for this ancient custom may be to check out each other's odors. Even if we are not consciously aware of this, handshaking may ... full story

Featured Videos

Mom Triumphs Over Tragedy, Helps Other Families

AP (Mar. 3, 2015) — After her son, Dax, died from a rare form of leukemia, Julie Locke decided to give back to the doctors at St. Jude Children&apos;s Research Hospital who tried to save his life. She raised $1.6M to help other patients and their families. (March 3)
Video provided by AP

Woman Convicted of Poisoning Son

AP (Mar. 3, 2015) — A woman who blogged for years about her son&apos;s constant health woes was convicted Monday of poisoning him to death by force-feeding heavy concentrations of sodium through his stomach tube. (March 3)
Video provided by AP

Related Stories

Jan. 4, 2013 — Experience working for a particular hospital matters when it comes to the performance of radiologists who work for outsourcing teleradiology companies, according to a team of researchers, whose ... full story

Sep. 1, 2011 — Hospital executives should consider the value-added services of hospital-based radiology groups before allowing radiology departments to be taken over by teleradiologists or other specialists, ... full story

Oct. 1, 2010 — Researchers working in a radiology department at a mid-sized hospital were able to increase productivity and improve efficiency by developing a simple method for measuring general technologist ... full story

Apr. 1, 2010 — Providing patients with direct access to their imaging test results could improve patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes. However, physicians are concerned that it could lead to increased patient ... full story

ScienceDaily features breaking news and videos about the latest discoveries in health, technology, the environment, and more -- from major news services and leading universities, scientific journals, and research organizations.